Archives: Pets

Anti-Vaccine Movement Killing Kids and Pets

Many are familiar with the anti-immunization fervor begun by an unscrupulous doctor in England who published misrepresented data from an already grossly biased and flawed study linking vaccines to the development of autism in young children. That doctor was later largely discredited and even had his medical license revoked for his flagrant unethical deviation from what are...

How To Protect Pets From Hidden Winter Holiday Dangers

The winter holiday season is a wonderful time of year. Families get together, children are bubbling with joy, and people get into the spirit of giving. Pets get to wear cute little accessories like Christmas sweaters and deer antlers, and many get stockings of their own stuffed with toys, treats, bones and other goodies. It is indeed a magical time for all, but hidden in that...

Winter Fleas? Pets are Itching for Relief

It may seem strange that I choose to write a flea article just as most of the nation is being hit with winter storms.  However, those snowstorms can lull pet owners into a sense of false security when it comes to fleas.  While those fleas may be effectively killed outside, they are doing just fine in their nice and cozy, warm homes, happily feeding on dogs and cats and...

For Pets and People, Alternative Medicine is Not Just Treatment, But a Lifestyle

People often give chiropractors a hard time about the fact that they make an appointment to be checked, receive treatment, but are then mandated by the doctor to have regular visits for the rest of their lives. From our well-ingrained western medical culture, it does seem like a funny and relevant joke. However, it not only paints chiropractors in the unfriendliest of lights,...

Secondhand Smoke and Pets

I inherited a very keen sense of smell from my mom.   Nothing gets by our noses, and my nose was on full alert as I walked into an annual well visit with a nice retirement age couple who brought in their 1 year, 4 month old dog.  I picked up the smell of cigarettes in the room immediately, emanating from both owners, and the dog.  As I examined the little guy, I noted...

True Confessions…of a Veterinarian??

I once thought of ABC’s program 20/20 as a good example of responsible, investigative reporting…until now.  Their piece titled, “True Confessions,” was not only an example of sensational, irresponsible, and poor quality reporting, but it misrepresented a veterinary profession that is by in large one of the few noble professions left in the world; and it thus was...

Pet Owners: Stop Paying Thousands of Dollars for Mutts!

The last decade of pet ownership has ushered in the era of the designer dog “breed”…hybrid crosses of existing AKC of recognized breeds that may provide cool looking and nice dogs, but in the end are little more than mutts (dogs of mixed breeding that have no pure bred value.  Despite breeders having found a market to crank out countless new “breeds” of what are...

Why Cats are Awesome

As pets, dogs seem to get the lion’s share of the spotlight.  From being called man’s best friend and getting more media attention, to even being 80% more likely than cats to receive regular wellness veterinary care.  Of course, dogs are wonderful animals, pets, and companions, but this post is all about the kitties, and why they are awesome pets in their own...

Be Careful of Getting Duped by Witch Potions

On days I am seeing patients, I get asked at least a few times about some miracle health tonic or pill someone discovered on the internet.  Products like these make any number of claims, from curing and preventing common endocrine diseases like hypothyroidism and Cushing’s disease, to cardiac disease, kidney failure, cancer, and more.  In many cases, the companies that...

Do Not Reinforce Bad Canine Behavior

I had an interesting evening of appointments last night, in which I saw 8 canine appointments in my 6PM – 8 PM time slot, each of which I had to muzzle because of fear biting potential.  Usually dogs that are so fearful that they become a biting hazard, represent the minority of canine patients, but last night was different, with every single dog I saw a stressed out,...